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Humraaz (1967)

I watched two old Hindi films last week, both with a love triangle—of sorts—as a central plot element. The first film, Saheli (Pradeep Kumar-Kalpana-Vijaya Choudhary) was an indifferent, predictable, forgettable flick which crescendoed into high melodrama. This one, a rewatch, makes for more satisfying reviewing, since the story is more interesting, the cast is better—barring one glaring and painful exception—and the music is out of this world. Humraaz is a BR Films production and a fine example of the high entertainment value that characterises BR Chopra’s best films. Total paisa vasool.

This one gets off to a running start (one thing I especially liked about Humraaz: it’s fast-paced and little time is wasted—not even on a comic side plot). The story opens in Darjeeling, where Meena (an unforgivably wooden Vimmi) is being romanced, against a backdrop of scenic views of the Himalayas, and in lovely flower-filled gardens, by Army Captain Rajesh (Raj Kumar).

…while Meena’s father Mr Verma (Manmohan Krishna), who’s a military contractor, is in the middle of a boisterous drinking party with his army officer friends. He loudly asserts that he wants a son-in-law to whom he can hand over his business. No armyman for Meena; Mr Verma refuses to let his only child marry an armywallah and go away to some other part of the country.

Which is just what Meena plans to do. Knowing her father’s attitude, she secretly marries Rajesh. But, being also a loving daughter, she writes to her father, telling him what she’s done and informing him that she will be going away with Rajesh. Unfortunately, Rajesh and Meena’s plans fall through; war is declared and Rajesh is posted to the NEFA border that very day. He leaves, but Mr Verma takes Meena home, assuring her of his forgiveness and telling her that once Rajesh is back, Mr Verma will have them married with much fanfare, not in this surreptitious fashion.

But oh, the cruelty of fate! Rajesh’s name appears on the list of the dead, and Meena, devastated, faints right away. The doctor (Nazir Kashmiri; did he play doctors when he wasn’t being Ramu Kaka?), summoned by Mr Verma, makes a worrying announcement: Meena is pregnant. Mr Verma is obviously shaken by this discovery, and we see the result in the next scene: on a winter’s night, Mr Verma is talking to Meena (I think she’s supposed to be exhausted after childbirth, but her makeup’s so perfect and each hair so perfectly styled, she looks as if she’s lying in bed out of boredom). Anyway, Mr Verma tells Meena that her baby was born dead. It’s all for the best, he says, completely tactless as ever: now no-one need know of Meena’s supposed indiscretions.

Time passes, and though Meena is still grieving (if an empty-eyed, expressionless stare can be construed as grief). She does go occasionally to parties and to the theatre. At a theatrical performance, she is noticed by Kumar (Sunil Dutt), an actor from Bombay who’s visiting Darjeeling to do some shows. Kumar swiftly falls in love with Meena and pursues her—fortunately in a somewhat dignified way, not with the shameless lechery of most Hindi film heros.

… with the result that Meena too finally falls in love with him. With Mr Verma’s blessings, they get married and go away to Bombay. Kumar introduces her to his friend, the lawyer Jagmohan (Iftekhar) and to his co-star Shabnam (Mumtaz). Meena feels an initial twinge of jealousy for Shabnam, but that’s soon set to rights, and while Kumar romances Shabnam onstage, in real life, he and Meena set about living happily ever after.

—or at least for the next four years. On the fourth anniversary of Meena and Kumar’s wedding, a frantic phone call comes from Darjeeling. Mr Verma is on his deathbed. Meena and Kumar hurry to Darjeeling, and Mr Verma manages to summon up enough strength to make a long overdue confession to Meena: four years ago, he’d lied to Meena. Her baby daughter was not born dead; Mr Verma gave her away to an orphanage. He now hands over the papers to Meena so that she can go find her daughter.

Back in Bombay, following her father’s death, Meena goes to the orphanage and meets her daughter Sarika (Baby Sarika). Meena hides the fact that she is the little girl’s mother, but the lady incharge of the orphanage (Achla Sachdev), noticing the instant bond between the woman and the child, readily allows Meena to take Sarika out for the day—and again and again, over the next few days.

In the course of these outings, Sarika and Meena grow very close—so much so that Meena suggests to Kumar that they adopt her. Kumar refuses gently; he fears that if and when Meena has children of her own, she will end up neglecting Sarika. Meena tries to reason with him, but it doesn’t work. Eventually, when the lady at the orphanage learns that Meena has no intention of adopting Sarika, she requests Meena not to visit the child any more, since this will only make the eventual parting more painful for Sarika.

She also agrees to give Sarika for adoption to Tejpal (Madan Puri). Tejpal tells an intriguing story: that he had a daughter of Sarika’s age, who died a while back. Tejpal’s father-in-law misses her terribly and refuses to accept her death. Since Sarika looks exactly like Tejpal’s little girl, Tejpal wants to adopt her and so keep his father-in-law happy.

The scene now shifts to a New Year’s Eve party at a hotel. Kumar and Meena are celebrating too, when suddenly Meena spots someone wearing two-toned shoes: we don’t get to see the man’s face, but Meena looks frightened out of her wits. Shortly after, who should turn up but Captain Mahender (Anwar Hussain), Rajesh’s best friend? He recognises Meena and is surprised to hear that she’s remarried. Meena begs him not to speak about her marriage to Rajesh.

That is the end of Meena’s happiness. The next morning she receives a phone call—from whom, we don’t know, though it upsets her—and someone tries phoning her in the evening too, remaining silent when Kumar answers the phone. Something is definitely wrong. Kumar senses something’s not quite as it should be, when one evening Meena begs to be excused from accompaying him to the theatre; she says she’s ill. But when Kumar phones home from the theatre to ask how she’s feeling, the maid says Meena’s gone out.

—And Meena’s explanation, when Kumar meets her, is that she visited the doctor. Kumar, just by the way, phones the doctor to find out further details, and discovers that Meena never did visit him. Why is she lying? Where had she actually gone? The long and the short of it is that a suspicious Kumar pretends to go off to Poona for a few days, but instead dons a beard and trails his wife…

Until this:

What on earth?! This is a very unusual twist, as anybody who’s seen enough Hindi films (where the hero and heroine are immune to anything close to death) will notice. But Meena really is dead, and what with Kumar having prowled around in that very conspicuous beard, it won’t be long before the police will be on his trail. But who really killed Meena? And why?

The cast, other than Vimmi (more on her later). The cast of Humraaz reads like a who’s-who of Hindi 60’s cinema (among those I haven’t yet got around to mentioning in my review are Balraj Sahni, Jagdish Raj, Nana Palsikar, Hari Shivdasani, S N Bannerjee, and Jeevan): loads of talent there.

The pace and the suspense. There are some very good twists and turns in this story, some swift and very surprising developments that I hadn’t seen coming the first time I saw Humraaz. And the pace is, through most of the film, very good; the songs are about the only concession made, and those I can forgive because they’re so good.

What I didn’t like:

Vimmi. I can understand why she might have inspired Sahir Ludhianvi to write Kisi patthar ki moorat se: she looks like a stone statue, all right. Or a porcelain doll—with all the accompanying animation! Why on earth didn’t BR Chopra get himself a better actress? Someone like Sharmila Tagore, perhaps? (On the other hand, Sharmila Tagore being bumped off bloodily in the middle of a film may not be the best way to endear a lot of audiences. I can live with Vimmi being killed off, not Sharmila).

The unravelling of the crime. I won’t say much more about this, but from the moment the cop (played by Balraj Sahni) gets his hands on the case and begins solving it, there are conclusions drawn and statements passed that were either illogical or inconclusive or both. I got the idea that whoever wrote the script got themselves into a hole and didn’t know how to get out of it—so decided to rely on bombast. Which is probably why the cop makes one sweeping statement after another: some thinking over what he says, and I realised that most of it didn’t really follow.

Still, despite that, this is a thoroughly entertaining film. A good example of how to build up suspense, even if it isn’t one of how to show a crime being solved.

175 thoughts on “Humraaz (1967)”

Hmm… Vimmi’s woodenness I can live with (at least she can speak Hindi unlike a lot of newer actresses!) but Raj Kumar has me wondering what I should do to make him go away! And I am completely blank about Balraj Sahni – his part in this I’ve forgotten entirely. Guess it’s time to re-watch. Unfortunately for me, I remember the mystery so well that a re-watch is not a very interesting prospect.

Yes, even I’d forgotten Balraj Sahni was even in Humraaz (in a very bad wig, too!) I think Humraaz is a bit like Jewel Thief in one respect: if you’ve seen it once, you’ll generally remember the main elements of the mystery. I did too, but I’d forgotten how it was solved.

I remember reading somewhere that vimmi was the only heroine who was bald and had to actually wear a wig (unlike others who used it as an adornment).

and unless there was some family debt the chopras had to repay to her family, no other reason why she should have been taken in hamraaz. that she is to be bumped off is weak. remember the hot janet leigh who is bumped off after 10 minutes in psycho and in an even more bloody manner.

Bald? Goodness, I had no idea. But that does seem a little unlikely, because I really wonder if any woman could have made it to lead actress (even if short-lived) with a drawback as massive as that. Hindi cinema tends to expect its stars to be flawless!

Re: Janet Leigh in Psycho… I do think Hollywood is less hidebound than Hindi cinema when it comes to taking liberties with its stars. Bob Mitchum was a serial killer in The Night of the Hunter (and later in Cape Fear); and even Tyrone Power was pretty ruthless in Witness for the Prosecution. Bollywood, on the other hand, tends to treat its lead actors and actresses as sacrosanct: a Humraaz or an Ittefaq is a flash in the pan!

And why, I wonder, with those silly up-turned ends? I much prefer Helen’s wigs, all bronze and blonde and what-have-you, which are obviously meant to be wigs and not trying to pass themselves off as real hair.

Hey Please excuse Vimi as it was her first movie. Though she is wodden, she is looking lovely. A must watch to see Sunil Dutt throughout the movie. The director has not given much time to out Jaani (Raj Kumar)
The ending scene is the best in which Sarika is seating in the top middle seat where Vimi used to sit as audience on the stage.

She may look lovely, but she is an actress. Her job is to act. Whether she looks pretty or not is beside the point. And plenty of other women – Saira Banu and Sharmila Tagore among them – at least acted adequately even in their very first films.

I had seen the songs over and over in Chitrahaar but never the film.
Have to get this one, despite Vimmi- spot on in describing her as a porcelein doll and the pathat ki moorat!
Any film where a Hindi film gets murdered and actually stays murdered has to be worth it.
Very cruel with her daughter though….

Poor Sarika doesn’t have it too good in this film, actually. Her mother gets killed, and then she gets manhandled a lot – flung around like a rag doll – by the villain. I ended up feeling very sorry for her.

Oooo I adore this film, and if only for Vimmi’s fabulous wardrobe! I really didn’t expect the twist near the end, it was a bit of a shocker, definitely a filmi noir done right! Though I think this film is special to me for Sunil Dutt donning brownface as Othello, and screeching out ‘IAGOOO!” in his thick Punjabi accent! That is priceless!

Aww Bollyviewer Raaj Kumar is good in anything, just for that lovely voice!

Yes, Vimmi did have quite a spectacular wardrobe here, didn’t she? All those lovely flimsy pastel chiffons. Oh, and Mumtaz was always (when not on stage) in black and white. Some really striking outfits too!

i watched the movie few days ago and felt same when i used to watch songs of humraaz. vimmi was wooden. no expression. kisi pathar ki murat was a true line. if sadhna ji or sharmila tagore would have been there the flim would have touched new heights.

On the other hand, if Sadhana or Sharmila Tagore’s character died (as Vimmi’s did), I wouldn’t have liked that… but yes, I’m sure they could have found someone who was a better actress than Vimmi. There were plenty of B-grade actresses who often appeared in supporting roles and so on who would have acted much better than she did.

I can’t remember a thing about this film except that I’ve seen it.
A good thing as I don’t remember the twist. So a second watch is in order. Vimmi of course is a great put off.
Who was that who said something against Raj Kumar, wanting him to go away etc? :-D
Actually from the review it would seem, he did go away!

Sarika looks cute.

BTW I saw Saheli a couple of weeks ago. Bought the DVD when I was in India. Wanted to see Kalpana, but the ending was soooo strupid.

I rented Saheli too because of Kalpana – I wanted to see more of her films. It seemed to show promise in the first half, but you’re right about the end: so very stupid! I’m coming to the conclusion that other than Professor, Teen Deviyaan and Pyaar kiye Jaa, Kalpana didn’t get too many roles in good films. Another ghastly one is Naughty Boy (which sounds pretty awful too, actually).

Kalpana with her trade mark style with real tight salwaar kameez in all movies did a good job in Biwi Aur Makaan, it was Hrishida as the Director so he really got the best out of all characters in the movie, we enjoiied that movie thoroughly.

Oh, I have very unhappy memories of Biwi aur Makaan – because I managed to see only the first half of the film. It was a 2-VCD film, and only the first VCD played! I remember Keshto Mukherjee playing a very convincing (even if not remotely pretty!) man in drag. :-D

What a coincidence, I saw this movie last week practically back to back. I have a set of BR DVD, Gumraah, Hamraaz and Waqt. I love Hamraaz, for the very reasons you mention, its all so scenic and pretty. Vimmi is wooden, but pretty. She wears her clothes well and makes for a good eye candy. She had a pretty bad life post Hamraaz.

Those two-toned shoes nearly made me puke, but in those days, I suspect, they were uber-stylish.

Yes, the two-toned shoes were awful, though I do believe they were the stuff of dandies! Whenever they’d appear onscreen, I’d think, “This is one person whom Alfred Hitchcock would never have given a role.” (There’s a story about a famous actor – I’ve forgotten who, but I think it was either James Stewart or Tyrone Power – who was in a lunch meeting with Hitchcock for a role. When lunch got over, Hitchcock offered the actor the role, and then explained that part of the reason he liked the actor was because he wasn’t wearing two-toned shoes!)

I seem to remember that one of things that Lata, the heroine of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, does not like Harish (one of her 3 suitors) when she first meets him are his co-respondent shoes (official name for two-tone colour shoes).

I think they get mentioned a few times in the book- disparigingly- because Harish is proud of them, and he of course works for a shoe-manufacturer suspiciously resembling BATA.

It’s been too long since I read A Suitable Boy (and frankly, it’s too long a book for me to summon up the courage to read it all over again), so I don’t remember that… but, interestingly, in Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock shows the two men’s trouser legs – and shoes – to highlight the difference in their lifestyle/point of view/etc. THe more conservative man is wearing Oxfords, staid and neat; the dandy is wearing two-toned shoes.

Shoes have to be either really loud (as in the two-toned shoes in Humraaz) or really attractive for me to notice them much. Most of the time, I don’t end up paying much attention to shoes – that Strangers on a Train anecdote is something I came across on the net. ;-)

Harvey, from gossip I’ve read online, her career went nowhere and her family (including the in-laws) cut her off. She was reduced to soliciting, and when she died (within a decade of this film) there was neither money nor a single mourner for a funeral.

I have heard that Raj Kumar said in a Party to the Director (B.R Chopra) that – Jaan aaj kal tum hamare jutae is khate ho. (You are earning because of my shoes) As in the movie after VIMIs murder Raj Kumar’s face is not disclosed just his shoes are shown.

You know, I have this observation, that Vimmi looks more insipid when she’s with Raj Kumar or Sunil Dutt (or, occasionally, in her scenes with Manmohan Krishna or Anwar Hussain): in comparison, in her scenes with Sarika, she looks way more natural. I wonder if she was one of the cringing types who shied from men?

Who knows. Either way, she had no business being on screen when she couldn’t act.

I can’t say I liked “Humraaz.” The plot is novel and interesting but it doesn’t compensate for the hole in the center of the film – Vimmi! BR Chopra could literally have substituted a mannequin for her and no one would have noticed the difference!

Actually, I found the whole movie insipid – a waste of an exciting plot. And I know I’m alone in this, but I feel the same way about the music – gorgeous lyrics ruined by blah compositions and singing.:-(

Ah, well, we’lll have to agree to disagree, in part at least! I like the music (at least the songs sung by Mahender Kapoor), and I think the story is by and large interesting. But Vimmi and the other holes in the plot definitely reduce the enjoyment of the film for me. Given a free rein, I’d probably have had Sharmila Tagore as Meena. Or Saira Banu.

humraaz!
I’m sure I have seen it, but I can’t remember a thing and although Ravi’s music is good, I wish they had taken Mohd.Rafi. I never had much of soft corner for Mahendra Kapoor. I pity him though. He seems to be a fix part of B R Chopra’s films.
I remember seeing Vimmi in a film with Shashi Kapoor and Ajit (?). Shw WAS wooden,w asn’t she? Worse than Priya Rajvansh!
Wonder why B R Chopra didn’t take Mala Sinha, a regular in his productions. Maybe no one wanted to play a mother to a 6 yr. old AND get bumped off in the middle of the film!
I always admire the fecundity of hindi film pairs, where nearly all one-night stands lead to pregnancy!

Mahender Kapoor isn’t a patch on Rafi, but I do think he’s unnecessarily maligned – he did sing some fabulous songs (incidentally, one of my favourite duets was sung by Mahender Kapoor and Asha: Chaand bhi koi deewaana hai, from Apna Ghar Apni Kahaani). I must do a Mahender Kapoor top ten post someday!

Heh! Vimmi was certainly even worse than Priya Rajvansh. I think with Priya Rajvansh the problem was more one of diction; she sounds absolutely flat and emotionless. But her face isn’t as deadpan as Vimmi’s.

Yes, Mala Sinha was quite a favourite of BR Chopra’s, wasn’t she? Also Nanda. And considering that Nanda did do a fairly unorthodox role in Ittefaq…!

“I always admire the fecundity of hindi film pairs, where nearly all one-night stands lead to pregnancy!”

But DO yu know how productive we are kya ?, not without reason we are almost 1.2 billion or was it 1.3 billion :), so one night ya half night ka stand ki farak pendha ?:)

On a serious note, yep Mahendra Paajee def did not get the acclaim he deserved in my opinion, but despite that he went on and really sang a variety of songs from patriotic songs to peppy numbers to classical, off hand following comes to my mind, songs like-

Exactly my point, ash! Mahender Kapoor may not have made it into the same league as Rafi or Kishore or Talat or Manna Dey, but he did get to sing some wonderful songs. Checking up on imdb, I discover that he was born on January 9th, so that’s occasion enough to do a Mahender Kapoor post!

BTW, I love both those songs from Gumraah too; especially Yeh hawa yeh hawa. The echo effect is beautiful. Incidentally, ash, do you have a link for the Woh dekho dekh raha tha papiha song? The only time I’ve seen (or even heard) the song was maybe about 25 years ago, on Chitrahaar – and somehow I was under the impression the film was a 40’s one!

DO Kya Yeh Bambai Hai has 8 tracks and luckily all in the VCD, that is rare, it is on T Series.

Pls give me some time I will dig out Dekho dekh raha tha papiha from one of my discs, I got this quite some time back and with g8 difficulty, I have not been able to see it anywhere on the net. I will share with yu all via YT, it is a must hear.

Meanwhile enjoii the above, am sure yu will see Mahendra Paajee has a variety in his voice, cheers :0

Ash, I don’t even need to now create a Mahendra Kapoor list for his birthday! You’ve done all the hard work already. ;-) Lovely songs, here – at least those I can recognise; there are others you’ve listed that I’ve never heard of, and which I’m now going off to explore… thank you!

If they just had put in a note for contraception in each of this films, it owuld have helped a lot!
even the pope is talking about it now!
but then, the hindi films then and even now are of the same opinion like Bush jr. that no sex is the best contraception!

Mahendra Kapoor just doesn’t do it to me!
For me he over took all the bad manenrisms of Mohd. Rafi and highlighted them Like the way he kneads the words like dough in ‘Chalo ek baar phir se’.
Some day I intend to make a list of famous Mohd. Rafi songs, I don’t like. I know that sounds negative, but since it is so hard to make a fav list of mohd.Rafi songs, I will try the other end! ;-)

What with so many bloggers doing lists of their favourites, it’s certainly time someone made a list of stuff that they hated (I’d been meaning to do a list of “Ten films you must never watch” – but I haven’t been able to build up a list of ten for that. Only about 3 or 4 so far).

That’s a perfect description of Mahendra Kapoor, harvey! I don’t deny that he was talented, but something about M. Kapoor’s style just puts me off. I think it’s his penchant for shouting/screaming as opposed to singing.:-) That said I do like his softer numbers like “aaja re mere pyaar ke rahi” from Oonche Log and “aaj ki raat nahi shikave shikayat ke liye” from Dharmputra.

As for Vimi, happened to see another movie of her’s over the weekend – Kahin Aar Kahin Paar (1971) co-starring Joy Mukherjee. Her acting hadn’t improved any.:-)

What I love about Humraaz is that things don’t fall apart at the climax, and there were atleast a couple of things that I didn’t see coming (Vimmi’s death being one).

The songs are just awesome. Mahendra Kapoor was good, but unfortunately never really got beyond being a poor man’s Rafi. But he still has some classics to his credit.

Sunil Dutt was excellent, I guess by this time he had gotten around playing the ‘o poor husband’ role after Mera Saya, and Raj Kumar thankfully never went OTT.

I would always rate Humraaz, along with Mera Saya and Ittefaq as one of the better suspense movies made ever in mainstream Hindi cinema, They came within 3 years of each other, and since then has been a bit of a dry spell.

Yes, Vimmi’s death was certainly a bolt out of the blue – I remember, the first time I saw Humraaz, I kept thinking there was something fishy, and that it would turn out that she was alive all the time and perhaps there was someone else in a Vimmi mask…! I guess I must have been watching The Train just before this film.

Yes, I think Humraaz is good when it comes to suspense – even though there are some holes in the solving of the mystery. Another of my favourite suspense films is CID. Oh, and Woh Kaun Thi?.

Good suspense Hinid films are certainly few and far between.
One of the recent ones was this fabulous Johnny Gaddar, which I would heartily recommend and another one that comes to my mind is Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Khamosh.
I liked Woh Kaun thi but somehow the ending is so wishy-washy with loopholes as big as the marina Trench (okay, I don’t know if it is big but one surely falls deep down ;-)
I was really impressed by Teesri manzil and Jewel Thief.

Yes, I guess Woh Kaun Thi? does have holes in the plot – even other than that really big one, the literal hole! I guess part of the reason I like that film is Sadhana, and the rest of it is because of the music – the score is fabulous, in my opinion.

Oh, yes – Teesri Manzil is another favourite of mine. Very enjoyable! Jewel Thief is good, but somehow I don’t think it’s as watertight as I’d have liked it to be… it always seems to me as if the motive is too flimsy to support the plot.

Thanks, by the way, for the Khamosh recommendation. I liked Johnny Gaddaar too; am always on the lookout for good suspense films, so will keep an eye out for Khamosh.

I absolutely love this film and have been wanting to write about it for a long time. The only thing is that I felt it was a bit dragged towards the end. And yes, I totally agree with you on Vimmi. A Sadhana would have done magic. But then I wouldn’t have liked Sadhana to be dead!

Oh I love Hamraaz though I have not seen it at a stretch only in bits and pieces whenever it has been telecast. I really like d Baby Sarika, she was probably about 4 years old and I think this was her first film. Thanks to your review and Memsaab, I now know who the actor playing Ramu Kaka is. Ever since I grew older, I always wondered who this actor was. Dad wasn’t around to answer my questions. Yes I could have asked his colleagues from the industry, it sort of never crossed my mind. There is also another actor who always played the servant or the pujari but I do not know his name. I remember once as a child my parents were discussing something and dad mentioned an actor called Randhir , I wonder whether that was his name.
Thanks to you avid film bloggers who are intent on digging out the history of the film industry, I am learning quite a lot.

Thank you, Shilpi! That’s very sweet of you. :-) We have Greta to thank for having found out who Nazir Kashmiri was. I remember how we’d kept wondering, for months altogether, who this man was, whom we’d see listed in the credits in so many films, but whom we couldn’t put a face to!

Do you remember any film in which this ‘Randhir’ (if that was him) featured? If you could recall which film(s) he was in, we could try putting a name to his face – try finding out if he really was Randhir, or someone else…?

Shilpi, maybe you are referring to Narbada Shankar? I don’t have Johnny Mera Naam with me, so I cannot confirm whether he’s the guy you are looking for. But Narbada Shankar has played the pujari role in many movies.

Btw, I know Randhir very well. I can recognise him easily. I think he may have occasionally played the pujari role but not as often as Narbada Shankar. Randhir often came in a negative role, like a scheming money-lender or henchman of the main villain.

Sorry for this very off topic comment DO, but since this is my *eureka* moment I thought I would post it here.

I have forgotten which thread it was where we were discussing Radheyshyam. I know him as a 50s actor and while I was listening to some Geeta Dutt songs I suddenly happened to find him in this clip at the beginning.
It is from Lajwanti, a 1958 film.

Yes I am trying to remember. One film that I can think of is the actor who played a pujari in Johny Mera Naam. He appears towards the end when Hema Malini is forced to steal the jewelery, if you have seen the film you will know. This actor is the one I am referring to, I have seen him in a number of films. Was he Randhir? No clue.

I can say with certainty that it is Radheshyam in Johny Mera Naam, saw this movie many months ago. Narbada bhai was not there, but Mesaabs AIG, Page 9, Artists from 1960, we have Randhir bhai, at least my d/l of this AIG says so, I d/l this a few months back so he cud be on Page 10 now as Memsaab updates regularly.

Randhir is easy to spot, share the SS with us, we can def help, cheers :)

First of all, let me say you have crafted this review beautifully without the slightest spoiler. That, in itself, is an art, especially for a movie like this.

Coming to the movie itself. I had seen this a few years ago but had forgotten a lot of the second half of the movie. So I decided to watch that part again today. And thoroughly enjoyed it.

You are right – this movie is pretty fast-paced and that is certainly one reason (among many) to enjoy it. No CSP, no dilutions (except for the songs which, like you say, are top-class and therefore a pleasure rather than an irritation). As it is, BR Chopra is my favourite director, not just for his direction itself but the types of movies he has given us.

I love the songs in this movie, esp the Mahendra Kapoor ones. I know he is not highly rated by many. OP Nayyar in an interview said he was forced to work with MK during the days of his misunderstanding with Rafi and felt MK was no singer at all!. That is very harsh – I think MK has sung lots of good songs – many are already listed here. Looking forward to your MK list in Jan.

Most of the comments here are about Vimi. Totally understandable. I saw her in a movie “Aabroo” sometime back – let’s just say the absolutely wooden hero, Deepak Kumar, would have been proud of his acting after seeing Vimi act.

Inspite of this, I like this movie a lot. There’s something sweet about it. And anyway I am a big fan of both Sunil Dutt. And I like Raj Kumar also quite a lot, so no complaints at all about the rest of the cast.

Sunil Dutt’s suspecting of his wife reminded me of his similar role with Leela Naidu in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke. Or Ashok Kumar in Kangan and Gumraah. Or even Rajesh in Aap Ki Kasam. Looks like this is not that uncommon a storyline in old Hindi movies. :-)

Thank you so much, Raja! I’m glad you liked the review – I enjoyed writing it, probably because despite Vimmi and despite the holes in the plot, this is an enjoyable suspense thriller. Raj Kumar isn’t one of my favourite actors, but he was fine in this; and Sunil Dutt is fabulous as ever!

To add to that list of men suspecting their wives: Kaajal, in which Raj Kumar is the one doing the suspecting; – and how could we forget Sangam?

It’s a great movie with great music definitely. Had forgotten about Balraj Sahni being in it. He’s always a pleasure to have in any movie except in some where all he does is weep n wail. Like in Neel Kamal where I thought him completely wasted in a role any other character actor would have sufficed. Plus he looked too young to be Waheeda’s dad especially since I’m assuming he was very much her contemporary to be playing her dad n not her love interest instead.

I read some pretty alarming stuff about Vimi online. She had a tough life owing to her acting inability it seems. I recall my dad telling me when we were watching Humraaz some years ago of how she died completely penniless and possibly committed suicide. There was some info on the web that she **allegedly** took to sex work to survive and pay for her alcoholism. Very very sad indeed if true!

Regarding some comments I saw about about Raaj Kumar’s presence, though he wasn’t as appealing present in this one as he was in Waqt (what would Waqt be without him I wonder!!), he is always a pleasure to watch onscreen for me! :-) Theatrical mannerisms – yes. But that’s what makes him so different from the other actors and endears him to the audience I think.

Be it Raj bhai or Vimi ben or Pradeepda or Bharat Bhushan Paajee, they all were unique in the sense they had their own style, we can term them under any category we may .. wood,stone, diamond,iron :), and if we look at the Comedians of that era.. again no1 copied any1, they did not need to as each was original in his own way.

simplegal: That does sound very alarming. Even if she didn’t have to resort to selling herself in order to survive, just the very thought that a rumour like that circulated, is scary. What surprises me is how she landed up in films in the first place, when she couldn’t act to save her life. Simply on the basis of her looks? She must’ve pulled some strings, because I can’t see why a director would saddle his film with a heroine who was so wooden. And if someone pulled strings for her, why didn’t they keep pulling strings?

Another song from Kismat that I like a lot is Laakhon hain yahaan dilwaale. And Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi has a stunning score too – one of my favourite Asha songs ever is from that film, Yehi woh jagah hai. Superb!

Ash, thank you so much, not just for all those fabulous songs you’ve searched out for us, but most especially for Dekho dekh raha tha papiha. It’s been ages since I’ve heard that song – have been wanting to see it for God knows how long! Thank you so much. :-)

LOL!
Let alone two toned shoes, I think just plain white ones were quite an eyesore too. Wait! Is it because it brings to mind the picture of a tight panted(is that a word?) Jeetender wearing them? :-D

Very possibly, pacifist – at least for me! Those white shoes with their very very narrow toes, coming almost to a point… yes, Jeetendra all the way! And the two-toned shoes in Humraaz were pretty much like that, except that there was some brown to relieve the white!

Utterly fab this film is, i thought it was Hamraaz?? I absolutely love the interiors in this fiolm when i’m ready to buy and do up my house i’ll have to get the interior decorator to have a look at this film ;)

Humraaz, Hamraaz, call it whatever – I actually spell it Humraaz because that’s how it’s pronounced: the first syllable rhymes with come=hum. And yes, I think the interiors were pretty good too – Meena and Kumar’s house is really quite grand. Not that round bed with the curtains and all, but nearly everything else. :-)

Can a stage actor afford such a costly House. There is only one scene in which Sunil Dutt looks funny and it is – the one in which he is skipping early in the morning with a fancy shorts and Vimi is still sleeping.

Since when have Hindi films been so realistic? ;-) If you went by Shammi Kapoor’s films – including ones like Bluffmaster, Professor, Brahmachari – you’d wonder how someone who didn’t have money for food could be so nattily dressed all the time.

On the other hand, there’s the fact that Hindi cinema has always been known for its escapism… we like to see a world of make-believe, because everyday life is already far too difficult and dreary for most of the population.

Yes, Sarika made much more of an impact as a child artist, na? She was also very good in Chhoti Bahu (though I personally don’t like the film).

Oh, and that round bed? I’ve seen it in other films too. Definitely in Waqt (I seem to remember a song picturised on Sadhana and Sunil Dutt, singing to each other on the phone… she’s lying on a round bed, as far as I recall). I guess interior designers in Hindi films of the 60’s figured a round bed was really cool. :-)

I had to come back and adv that this song, one of them from a entertainer of a movie FASHIONABLE WIFE has this wonderful song, a duet with Geetadi Dutt, this movie is also one of my favorites (of 1001 LOL), do check out, yu will like the beat n lyrics-

I’d completely forgotten about Thande-thande paani se! I remember it as being quite a hit when I was a kid, even though I always found the picturisation a little embarrassing: Sanjeev Kumar, by that time, was not exactly the best person to be filmed half naked!! But yes, a fun song.

Ah yeah DO, that is the point why I liked it so much, besides Paajee as the singer and the lyrics.

Hari Bhai aka Sanjeev Kumar agreed to film this song half naked, he did not care about his ‘shape’ or ‘figure’, that’s why it makes him so special… can yu imagine any1 from the ‘newer’ brigade in his age bracket doing that ????

The newer brigade, even when they’re in that age bracket, are too well-preserved to be acting as married and the fathers of children!! Look at people like Sanjay Dutt or Anil Kapoor – well past Sanjeev Kumar’s age, but are they admitting it? ;-)

Sanjeev Kumar is the best actor but I heard that in Sholay there is no single scene in which Hema and Sanjeev are together as Sanjeev had just proposed her and she not only rejected him but won’t act with him. Poor fellow. But Hema should have married Jitendra instead of Dharmendra who was already married at that time and also had two sons from earlier marriage.

I’m slightly ashamed that after making a flourishing claim to knowing exactly who Radheyshyam is, I still haven’t come up with anything to support it. :-(

The problem of course is that I just can’t remember the names of various films I’ve seen him in.

He was a young actor in the 50s and took on roles in films set in villages. I mostly remember him in dhoti.
Like Bhagwan he too produced some films, one of which I saw some months ago, but for the life of me I can’t remember the name of either the film or the actors except that he gave himself a substantial role in his film.

I promise to get back with something as soon as I have unearthed this film I saw or any other where he had small roles and continued way into 60s and perhaps 70s.

He had slightly buck teeth and his hair fell on his forehead (mind you, not a lock, but hair) from a side parting. His manner of speech was slightly monotonous.

Now I’m really waiting with bated breath to see who Radheshyam was! Your description reminds me of someone I’ve seen (though I am almost sure I’ve seen him in a comic role), but I can’t for the life of me remember in which film. Yes, I know that sounds terribly vague, but that’s how it is. ;-)

Your comment was the Nelson, pacifist – 111! My husband’s just been asking me why this particular post has been so popular – I’m wondering why, too. I guess Vimmi and Mahendra Kapoor are equally responsible for that. :-) To some extent Radheshyam too, even though he didn’t figure in Humraaz!

Thank you! Lovely song, very O P Nayyar. I have seen this film, but it was such a bad spy thriller, that I seem to have mentally blanked out even the songs, which I now realise are actually very nice. :-)

You know something DO, I was quite surprised yday, I was refreshing ye Golden Era and watched Hariyali Aur Rasta, the movie was a super musical as we all know, but on checking YT I noted we have video clips of all songs of this phillum except one ? (audio is there), and that is Paajees-

Kho gaya hai mera chand

I must get some time to rip this and post for the viewers, but all the same listen to this audio here-

It has beautiful lyrics and he has it sung very well, me feels !

While yu are at it folks check out another goodie from Aadmi Aur Insan-

I’d forgotten about both those songs, even though I’ve seen both films (and Aadmi aur Insaan, several times)… now that I listen to them, of course I remember them. Thank you for posting the links, that made for good listening. :-)

pardon me which first link did yu refer to ? Is this from my reply ie the track from Kho Gya hai mera chand
or
some other…..POST?

if it is the former from my reply, for sure a superb compilation, thats why I am seeing Hariyali Aur Rasta for umpteenth time. This movie had the super duo Shankar Jaikishan with the magic baton with ably assisted by Dattaram Bhau and Sebastian, the SJ loyalists !

P.S.
If yu get any probs d/l Khota Paisa, drop a word, will try to find out the reason for this…..
Cheers

I’m sorry! Like ash, I too thought the first link and the second were the same. Just clicked it and am enjoying the song right now. Lovely! (Incidentally, Mahendra Kapoor seems to have sung some good songs for Biswajeet, right?) And I do think this song’s a good example of Mahendra Kapoor’s skill as a singer – he modulates his voice very well in a lot of songs. Certainly doesn’t shout in most songs. ;-)

Yer bang on Pacifist, my error, I thought the link was same as the one for Yaaron ki Tamanna Hai, therefore I did not click and check, no doubt its a fab number, both from Kahin Din Kahin Raat, movie in my collection and seen it 5 times, already (main pagal nahin hoon mera dimaag kharab hai :) with a combo of S H Bihari Saheb and O P Saheb, it is bound to be a super hit.

One feels so good listening to these beats, lyrics and performers.
Ah bother me as much as yu want :) re Khota Paisa, probs, if any :)

I envy you, ash! The only film, from those you’ve listed, that I’ve seen of Nalini Jaywant is Naujawan (what lovely songs, and what a handsome hero Premnath makes!) I also remember bollyviewer doing a very fine review of Railway Platform, which also I’m trying to get hold of – I think seventymm have it in their catalogue.

I’m not being able to read the Times of India link – the text appears for a moment, then disappears. Will try again later. Thank you for it!

Unfort I have to Post this reply and then check if we really get on to the correct page, but hey why not copy and paste also, I wont get the image here thou.. so for sake of good order qte it also

Nalini’s pets are like orphans without home’
Bharati Dubey TNN

Mumbai: The death of yesteryear star Nalini Jaywant has not only shaken her former colleagues, but also Bachchan and Pappu, the two strays who had been her faithful and constant companions over the last few years.
The mongrels, who were adopted by Jaywant, have been deeply traumatized by her death, say her neighbours. They are almost like orphans thrown out of their home following the actor’s death. On Friday night, when this reporter visited the house, Pappu was loitering around the house. Vishnu Pund, a neighbour’s watchman who has been taking care of Pappu, said, “It has been crying since Naliniji passed away. The dogs were like family and were always with her. Pappu has not been eating. I keep it leashed during the day, but we let the dog free in the evening. It doesn’t go anywhere and just sits outside the house, waiting for the gates to open.”
While Pund is taking care of Pappu, for Bachchan, the experience has been more painful. The dog, suddenly homeless after all these years, fell into a pit next to the bungalow and was rescued only on Saturday. Megha Nigam, another neighbour, said, “The dogs found themselves out of the house after her body was taken away. Nobody from the colony was ready to adopt them. I have been trying to call ambulances and the fire brigade to get him out of the pit for the last couple of days. In fact, I was ready to get into the gutter with my boots on when the ambulance just arrived.”
The rescue team took about 20 minutes to get Bachchan out of the gutter. No sooner than it came out of the gutter that it ran straight to the house and where Pappu leashed to the wall of the neighbour’s house; Pappu started howling anew on seeing its companion.
Sandhya Venkateshwaran, another neighbour, gave Pund a bowl of food for Bachchan, who ate as if it had been hungry for a long time. After eating, Bachchan went back to the gate of the actress’s house, hoping it would open again.
Nigam said, “There are snakes and insects in the gutter. People don’t really care about animals.” She later took the dogs to a veterinary doctor. When TOI contacted her again she said, “The dogs are back. He has given them injections.”
A dog lover from the area offered to take care of Jayawant’s pets, but Nigam and other neighbours said that the dogs would not go anywhere. “They will stay here in this lane and we will take care of them,” she said.
Actress’s funeral a quiet affair
Nalini Jaywant’s nephew, Sandeep Jaywant, confirmed on Saturday that he had performed the last rites of his aunt. “It was a quiet affair. She wanted it that way.” The actress’s niece, Tanuja,said, “I lost touch with her but the last time I met her, she was happy. She had become more spiritual. She was a recluse.” Actor Dev Anand who has worked with Jaywant in several films, was not aware of her death. He said, “It is upsetting to hear about her death. The moment I talk about her, her beautiful face from my films like ‘Munimji’ and ‘Kala Pani’ come to my mind.”

IN MOURNING: The strays, Pappu and Bachchan, have been crying since the actress’s death

(image is missing)

UNQTE

Luckily the DVD version of Railway Platform is avail, do see it, yu will love all the characters.. and the song BASTI BASTI parbat gaata jaya banjaara by Rafi Saheb… wah wah.

Premnath the handsome guy… have 2 of his movies as main hero DO…..

Sagai with Reshma
mera bhai mera dushman with another beauty Shyama

And yu know I am in awe, he was married to another sooni kudi :) Bina Rai… she was known to have hot head… oh well liteRally speakin’ she was ‘HOT’….

I was able to read the article from the link you pasted this time, but thank you also for pasting it into the comments – that helps!

Sad to hear about Nalini Jaywant’s pets. I can imagine how lonely they must be feeling – animals, especially dogs, tend to get very attached to people who love them.

I’ve been trying to get hold of Sagaai, but everytime I’ve tried to rent it, I’ve ended up with a fairly stupid Biswajit film. And I’ve never even heard of Mera Bhai Mera Dushman. But the idea of a cast that features Premnath and Shyama: that makes my mouth water!! Must look out for it. :-)

Having seen Humraaz quite a while back, it was a pleasure to revisit the movie through this delightful review and a re-watch of it on DVD this weekend. It’s marvelous – the scenic beauty of Darjeeling, the songs, and handsome Sunil Dutt!

Some classics will always remain fresh despite some of the glitches that you mention (i.e., the cop’s method of crime solving in this movie). Humraaz delights everytime!

Thank you for those words of appreciation, Simplegal! I so agree with you about the timeless charm of films like Humraaz (and, I may mention Teesri Manzil, Woh Kaun Thi? China Town, CID, and so many more suspense thrillers of the 50’s and 60’s). They may have glitches and plot holes, and somehow the whole thing of bursting into song in the middle of solving a crime seems incongruous (or would seem incongruous to those who haven’t grown up with the genre!) – but still, they’re fabulous films, hard to beat for sheer entertainment value.

It just struck to me that you would have reviewed this film for sure (its pre 1970)- interesting to read your take on it- in depth as always- about the crime being not investigated properly- I didn’t think it was too out of the place- maybe the assured presence of balraj Sahni covered it up for me :)

True, Balraj Sahni does make up for a lot of other shortcomings. It’s been a while since I watched Humraaz, so I don’t remember exactly which were the conclusions I thought flawed, but I certainly thought the deductions here were weaker than in, say, Ittefaq.

I watched this on the plane, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED it! The songs are pure amazing. Sunil Dutt is such a good actor. Vimmi… throughout “Kisi Patthar Ki Moorat Se”, not one facial expression. While Sunil Dutt balances out pretending to play the piano, lipsyncing, and giving some awesome facial expressions. His character really started to grow on me throughout the film, and Raaj Kumar was so very very very adorable!

So that means, Anu, you can’t shoot him either! I really loved the story, and my favorite, by far, was how Kumar tried to unravel the mystery in the end, and how they fled from Bombay to Ooty. That was awesome. I was actually relieved that Vimmi was gone from the film! Her wooden acting was bordering on irritating for me.

One thing I really would’ve liked was if Kumar and Rajesh teamed up and beat the villian up. I always want that. Why does Ashok get to shoot him? >:(

So glad you liked this one, Sasha! :-)
It’s one of my favourite suspense films, too – despite Vimmi, whom I can’t bear. (but then, if that role had been played by an actress I like, and who can actually act, I would have hated to see her die!).

True. I was a little skeptical after the letdown of Gumrah (COME ON, SUNIL DUTT GOT ALL THE SONGS. WHAT IS THIS.), but this was awesome. He had more scope in this film. And I love Mahendra Kapoor’s voice, I like it a lot! I think he suits Sunil Dutt. And Sunil Dutt has an awesome wardrobe. I like his hats. I want one now. :D So I bought a hat like his for my game character.

And for once, Jeevan in a good role! I loved the part, where afrer his wedding, Sunil was invited to say something, and he told everyone to get out. Hahahahaha!

It saddens me to read mean comments regarding Vimmi. I don’t see her as a bad actress; she didn’t jump up and down and run around the flower beds but if you look at the storyline her demeanour fitted the bill. Also being a married woman with children in a conservative society she must have been petrified to show too much provocative exuberance. She was a great beauty born at the wrong time, wrong place among the wrong people. People lusted after her beauty, and then after the money she was capable of making! Her husband being the worst culprit! And, no she was not bald- she had beautiful hair. Read her son’s book written on her ‘Tears of the mystic rose’ by Swami Rajneesh. She was a woman ahead of her time; she rebelled against those who tried to smother her and fell victim to those who sought to live off her and use her. She died helpless, alone and neglected by those who owned a care of duty for her. Please don’t malign her any more!

One of my co-workers wears shoes that are the same shape and style (minus the b&w contrast) as the “the shoes of death” and EVERY time I see him wearing them I think about Humraaz!

And I agree about the acting, Vimy is insufferably wooden. If only BR Chopra had gone with a better actress like Sharmila Tagore or Sadhana I think the film could have been so much better. But I don’t think I’d want to see either get killed off though– I’m definatly not okay with that.

BTW that’s so sad about Vimy if it’s true– as a rule I don’t delve into the personal lives of actors/actresses/entertainers. My relationship with actors/actresses begins and ends on the screen. I don’t need to know about their personal lives to appriciate/assess their skill/performances; I find more often than not it just ruins their ‘movie star’ image for me.

Yes, my first thought was too that if a Sharmila or Sadhna had been the heroine, it would’ve been much better – but then, I wouldn’t have liked to see either of them get killed off! So perhaps,all said and done, Vimmy was the right choice. ;-)

Ah, we’re alike in one way, at least – I don’t care to delve into the personal lives of stars or movie personalities either. Everybody is entitled to their privacy, I think, and really, it’s their work I’m interested in, nothing else.

Interesting how one thing leads to another. The song ” kisi patthar ki moorst se” showed up in my youtube list of videos to watch. So I watched it and was wondering if Sahir wrote the lyrics with wooden Vimi in mind, since they fit her to the T. So I wondered how she looks today, I searched Google and was surprised that she passed away in 1977 and led a very tragic life. I had only seen her in two movies, humraaz and “Nanak naam jahaz hai”. She was much better in the punjabi movie though always dressed impeccably. Not a hair out of place and actually had dialogs.
I don’t remember her ever talking in Humraaz. That led me to look for the movie online to watch ( I have forgotten the ending ). I did not find the movie but saw a familiar Dustedoff review ! So I landed here, where you were wondering too why B.R. Chopra picked her. I found several articles on her, all seem to be copies of each other. So I am posting one here. No matter how bad an actress, no one should meet such a tragic death and lead a tragic life like hers.http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/vimi/bollywood-actors-tragic-endpart-1-vimi

That is quite a coincidence! I’m glad you landed up back here – and thank you for that article. Interesting, and so tragic… I agree with you, no matter how awful an actress Vimmi was, she didn’t deserve to end her days like that. It also made me wonder: what prompted seasoned producers and directors to sign her on? Just her looks? And this article talks about repeated rehearsals for her scenes in Humraaz – I shudder to think what her acting would’ve been like if she hadn’t gone through several rehearsals.

Yes, she was no Madhubala. I mean, with a face like Madhubala’s (or Shyama’s, or Sadhna’s, in her early days) I would’ve forgiven less than optimum acting. But Vimmy, while pretty, certainly doesn’t strike me as one of those women so beautiful that she’d make you forget her bad acting.

We were in boarding school, with Doordarshan for company. Saturday night movies were something we could watch staying up late. I did not see this one in full, but my friends were narrating the story and I told them its based on an old film.

Sunny Deol is good in Rajkumar Santoshi films, haven’t seen his 80s action fare like Arjun, Yateem etc. Saif is touch and go (he is amazing in Omkara or very likeable in Kal Ho Naa Ho & equally annoying in something like Cocktail)

i think vimmi personal life was more responsible for her fate than her professional ones. like so many heroines in our industry belong to well do family and some have came from middle class and lower middle class. one heroine said hum chtaai par sotey thay. if she had progressive family and good husband than it would have been easy. when i see children struggling for even food, clothes and shelter cause they are born to poor parents and some children having lavish lives cause born to rich ones then it leads me to wonder about fate, destiny and karma.

i am deeply pained after reading the article and its true that i have read it in hindi newspaper too which looked blunt to me cause of hindi is my first language. even in humraaz review of dd news stated about attitude over safalta and asafalta. i wish she would have never entered films. quoting shashi kapoor shashi ji said heroine sirf apney khoobsurati par hi nahi apney acting par bhi dhyaan dey.

Interestingly, perhaps the movie in which I’ve liked Rajkumar the most is one that’s rarely spoken of: Godaan, based on Munshi Premchand’s novel. I had not expected to like the lead pair – Rajkumar and Kamini Kaushal – because neither is a favourite of mine. But they turned out to be the best part of the film. Both very good, and even though the film is only a fraction of Premchand’s novel, I still found it interesting, memorable.

Humraaz stands at the numero uno position in the list of my favourite suspense-thrillers of Bollywood and I am fortunate to have watched it on the big screen. You are right in asserting that B.R. Chopra wastes no time in coming to business as far as the screenplay is concerned. All the songs are over in the first one hour itself and then there is no disturbance in the fast moving narrative for arond two hours. It’s a unique and highly commendable thing. Your review is just too good and I am falling short of words to adequately admire it.

Someone has written in a comment about its remake which was made by casting Sunny Deol, Saif Ali Khan and Raveena Tandon. It’s true. The concerned movie is Imtihaan (1994) with Sunny Deol playing the role akin to that of Raaj Kumar, Saif Ali Khan playing that of Sunil Dutt and Raveena Tandon playing that of Vimi. Raveena Tandon is shown as shot in the movie but she doesn’t die, only keeps on hanging between life and death till the ending reels. This remake is no match for a quality movie like Humraaz and it had badly flopped.

One thing that I could not understand after watching the full movie is why Meena is shown as frightened out of her wits by spotting someone wearing two-toned shoes because she comes to know of the identity of that person (wearing two-toned shoes) the next day only when he calls her over phone. In that party, she met only Captain Mahendra (and that too later). Did she happen to see the face of that two-toned shoes wearing person also which might have frightened her ? At least the explanation of the various intriguing events and actions of Meena furnished by the narrator (through flashback) in the penultimate sequence of the movie does not confirm it. You can throw some light on it and clear my doubt.

Hearty compliments for this extra-ordinary review of an extra-ordinary movie.

Thank you so much for the appreciation, and for that detailed reply about Imtihaan – I shall give it a miss (not that Sunny Deol has ever been a favourite of mine; I wouldn’t see the film just because he’s in it).

As for the detail about the two-toned shoes and Meena’s reaction to it: I will have to rewatch that scene and the ones preceding and succeeding it in order to comment, because I don’t remember that sequence so vividly. And since I’m very busy these days, that may not happen in a hurry… If I do see it, I will post my comment here.